CUPE 458 workers and the Village of Harrison ratified a collective agreement over the weekend, putting an end to strike action that’s had workers off the job since July 9.
READ: Deadlocked: Village of Harrison workers strike after negotiations fail
The disagreements centred around the 2016 expiration of a 25-year agreement between the Village and workers. The agreement allowed weekend scheduling of Village employees in return for a compressed work week, but when the agreement expired, the Village no longer wanted to uphold a letter of understanding (LOU) that contained the compressed work week portion – something workers strongly opposed.
Months of negotiations followed and continuously failed to provide a resolution, leading, finally, to last week’s strike.
The strike continued until Saturday, July 14 when a ‘tentative agreement’ was reached. In a July 14 Facebook post, CUPE 458 Acting President Darlene Worthylake said that through “meaningful discussions” the parties “were able to find common ground and solve the issue around weekend scheduling.”
That common ground was a new agreement that provides a 10 per cent premium to Monday to Friday workers who are scheduled to cover weekend shifts. Workers who regularly work on weekends will continue to receive regular union pay.
The compressed work week portion of the previous agreement was eliminated entirely, but the new agreement mandates a two-week notification of shift change for workers, a huge change from the 48-hour notification required in the previous agreement.
A ‘cost of living’ increase to wages was also negotiated – union workers will now receive a two per cent increase over a five-year contract.
“I think it definitely addresses our operational needs as a resort municipality that runs seven days a week,” said the Village’s chief administrative officer Madeline McDonald. “We are extraordinarily busy on weekends, this past weekend was a good example of that…We’re very pleased that we’ve come to an agreement with the union around this important issue.”
Harrison workers signed a new contract with the Village of HHS.Thanks to our union bros & sistas who walked the line with us, you bolstered our spirits.The real heros-Harrison workers who braved sweltering temps to walk the picket line, you stood your ground & demanded respect. pic.twitter.com/h3XXfaA07m
— CUPE 458 (@cupelocal458) July 16, 2018
Union VP Worthylake said the workers didn’t get everything they wanted, but the final agreement did work out to be a good compromise.
“They lost the compressed work week which was a huge issue for them,” she said, “But we recognize that the employer didn’t want to renew the LOU…The compromise is that the employer will recognize that they will pay a 10 per cent premium for all hours worked on the weekend for employees that work Monday to Friday.”
“The important thing is that they were able to compromise with us, they heard what we were saying and [our] concerns and we understood and heard what they were saying,” Worthylake added. “At the final hour things turned around…The hope is that things will move on and it will settle down.”
McDonald said, “I think this agreement has addressed concerns on both sides. And I think we’re all very happy to return to our roles and to move forward in a positive way.”
